Electro Morocco were an

Israeli American Israeli Americans () are Americans who are of full or partial Israeli descent. The Israeli-American community, while predominantly Jewish, also includes various ethnic and religious minorities reflective of Israel's diverse demographics. This c ...

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

band from

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Formed in 2007 by members of Nanuchka, they released two EPs, ''Electro Morocco'' (2008) and ''Low Ride'' (2010) and were featured on the Shemspeed compilation album ''Sephardic Music Festival Vol. 1'' (2010). They remixed and produced songs for Y-Love, DeScribe, and Eprhyme, and were noted for their unusual blend of

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

, and

Middle Eastern music The various nations of the region include the Arabic-speaking countries of the Middle East, the Iranian traditions of Persia, the Jewish music of Israel and the diaspora, Kurdish music, Armenian music. Azeri Music, the varied traditions of Cyp ...

History

Electro Morocco was formed in 2007 in

. Founding members

Yula Beeri Yula Beeri () born Yuli Yael Be'eri (), is an Israeli composer, musician, and performer. Yula is the founder of the music and arts collective Yula & The Extended Family (YXFM), a group at The Hive NYC in Brooklyn. The group's members not only ...

(previously of

The World/Inferno Friendship Society The World/Inferno Friendship Society (also referred to as World Inferno, or Inferno) was an American band from Brooklyn, New York. Its style merged punk, soul, klezmer and jazz, while its collective membership featured horns, piano and guita ...

and

Star Fucking Hipsters Star Fucking Hipsters is an American punk rock band from New York City who have released albums on Fat Wreck Chords and Alternative Tentacles records. They have been called a "punk Supergroup (music), supergroup" and feature members from numero ...

), Roy Gurel, Shlomi Lavie, and Assaf Spector had previously been in the rock band Nanuchka together. The band's debut EP, ''Electro Morocco'', was released by Shemspeed on April 22, 2008. Later that year, Lavie left the group and joined the band

Marcy Playground Marcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak (lead vocals, guitar), Dylan Keefe (bass), and Shlomi Lavie (drums). The band is best known for their 1997 hit " Sex and Candy". History Early ...

. In January 2009, the band performed at the

92nd Street Y 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a cultural and community center located in the Carnegie Hill neighborhood of the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, at the corner of East 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Founded in 1874 as the You ...

as part of the Oyhoo Jewish Music Festival alongside

Dov Rosenblatt Dov Rosenblatt is an American singer, songwriter, producer, composer, and teacher. Currently based in Los Angeles, California, he is best known as the lead singer of the Jewish rock band Blue Fringe, who were credited along with Moshav (band), M ...

, Y-Love, and Diwon. In December, they joined Shemspeed's fifth annual Sephardic Music Festival alongside Pharaoh's Daughter,

Yair Dalal Yair Dalal (; born 25 July 1955) is an Israeli musician of Iraqi-Jewish descent. His main instruments are the oud and the violin, and he also sings as accompaniment. He composes his own music and draws on Arab and Jewish traditions, as well as ...

, Sarah Aroeste, and

Smadar Levi Smadar Levi () is an Israeli singer. Levi was born in Sderot Israel to a family that had immigrated from Morocco and Tunisia. She has dedicated her career to reviving and reinvigorating the spirit of Convivencia, coexistence between Jewish and Mu ...

. In early 2010, they appeared at the Boston Jewish Music Festival alongside Flory Jagoda, Ruth Dolores Weiss,

Osvaldo Golijov Osvaldo Noé Golijov (; born December 5, 1960) is an Argentine composer of classical music and music professor, known for his vocal and orchestral work. Biography Osvaldo Golijov was born in and raised in La Plata, Argentina, to a Jewish family ...

Golem A golem ( ; ) is an animated Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is created entirely from inanimate matter, usually clay or mud. The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century ...

, and the

Klezmer Conservatory Band The Klezmer Conservatory Band is a Boston-based group which performs traditional klezmer music; it was formed by Hankus Netsky of the New England Conservatory, New England Conservatory of Music in 1980. Originally formed for a single concert, they ...

. They also contributed their song "Joe Pill" to the Shemspeed compilation ''Sephardic Music Festival Vol. 1'', and released a second EP, ''Low Ride'', accompanied by the single "Sweetly Down". The group has been inactive since 2012, with the members pursuing various other projects.

Musical style

Electro Morocco's style of

combined elements of

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

, and

, earning comparisons to

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n rapper M.I.A. as well as hip-hop groups

Black Eyed Peas The Black Eyed Peas are an American musical group formed in Los Angeles in 1995, composed of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo (rapper), Taboo. Fergie (singer), Fergie was a member during the height of their popularity in the 2000s, and ...

and

Far East Movement Far East Movement (abbreviated FM) is an American Hip hop music, hip hop and electronic music group based in Los Angeles, composed of Kev Nish, Prohgress, J-Splif, Jon Street, Ray Ro, DJ Virman, and Jerm Beats. They signed with Martin Kierszenba ...

Discography

;EPs *''Electro Morocco EP'' (April 22, 2008; Shemspeed/Blue Jay Way) *''Low Ride EP'' (March 24, 2010; Shemspeed/Blue Jay Way) ;Music videos *"Joe Pill" (2008; ''Electro Morocco EP'') *"Sweetly Down" (2010; ''Low Ride EP'') ;Production credits *Shemspeed MCs vs. Electro Morocco – "Boom Selecta" (feat. Y-Love, DeScribe, Eprhyme, and Kosha Dillz) (2010; Shemspeed) *Eprhyme – "Blow Up the Block" (feat. Y-Love and DeScribe) (2011; '' Dopestylevsky''; K) ;Remixes * Y-Love and DeScribe – "Make It" (Electro Morocco remix) (2009; ''The Change EP''; Shemspeed) *

Matisyahu Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his stage name Matisyahu (; ), is an American singer, rapper, beatboxer, and musician. Known for blending spiritual themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing sounds, Matisyahu's 2005 sin ...

– " One Day" (Electro Morocco remix) (2010; Shemspeed) *DeScribe – "Modern Day Moses" (Electro Morocco remix feat. Shmoolik (2010; ''Harmony EP''; Shemspeed) *Electro Morocco – "Joe Pill" (remix) (2010) *Electro Morocco – "Set" (remix) (2010) *Y-Love – "The Takeover" (Electro Morocco remix feat.

Andy Milonakis Andrew Michael Milonakis (; born January 30, 1976) is an American comedian, actor, rapper, and internet personality. He is best known for his work on '' The Andy Milonakis Show'', a sketch comedy series that aired on MTV and MTV2 from 2005 to 2 ...

and TJ Di Hitmaker) (2012; Shemspeed) ;Compilation appearances *''Sephardic Music Festival Vol. 1'' – "Joe Pill" (2010; Shemspeed)

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.electromorocco.wordpress.com Israeli electronic music groups Electronic music groups from New York (state) Record producers from New York (state) Jewish hip-hop record producers